mckenney



G. E. McKENNEY.

DISPENSING CABINET. APPLICATION HLD AuG.5, 191s.

1,355,488. Patented m. 12,1920.

2 SHEEVTS-SHEVET l.

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G. E. McKENNEY.

DISPENSING CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5, |9I8.

1,355,488, l Patented oet. 12,1920,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.'

In. if A/ ////////f I III I# D102 .I n n n n n n u www Zwei/fors was: @Waals UNITED STATES -GERvIs'n MCKENNEY, or CHICAGO, iLLmoIs.

nisi?*Eivsiive-CABINET.

Application ledAugust 5,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, (jriinvis E. MoKiiNNEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, in thev county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Dispensing-Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

rl`his invention relates to that class of automatically operating dispensing cabinets in which with the removal of an voutermost article Vor package-the same isautoinatically replaced by a nextadjacent'article or package, and the present improvement has for its object v To provide a simple and efficient structural formation and combination of parts and mechanisms, whereby the packages or articles to Abe vended are serially moved into an exposed position, and in an upright inanner for easy observation and selection, and Y .with which the replacement of a selected package or article is automatically effected in-a simple and effective manner, all as will hereinafterl more fully appear. ln the accompanying drawings: Y

lFigure l, isa detail longitudinal section illustrating thepreferred form ofthe in- 'vention same online m2 m2, Fig. 1.l

Fig. 2, isa detail horizontal section of the Fig. 3, is a Vvdetail longitudinal section of va modified form of the invention.

lpair of said shafts 4 and 5 individual to a horizontal row of the above mentioned containing cells, and to such end lthe said series of shafts 4, 5 will extend the entire length of the main shell orfcasing 1.

6 and 7 `designate pluralities of sprocket drums mounted yon each pair of shafts 4, 5 above described,fwith each pair of frontV and rear sprocket drums individual to a contain ing cell aforesaid and adapted to support Specification of Letters Patent.

:mientenl oct. 1:2, 1920. 191s. serial No. 248,255.

and drive an endless belt orcarr-ier 8 that forms' a movable floor for the said containing cel-l.A ln the present structure'one Vo; the other of the two series of shaftsY 4, 5y will have driven connection with a power source, and in the drawingsV the front series of shafts 4 are shown as so driven by'means and arrangements as follows:

9 designates a train of gear Wheels operatively connecting the series of shafts 4 together to rotate in a commondirection under travel of the same, and with a removal of Y' said article or package will effect an operation of said belt or carrier to bring another extreme forward end of the belt orcarrier 8 and an automatic re-stoppage of the same. In the attainment of the above mentioned functions and operations anV electrically controlled mechanism is preferably employed, with a detail construction and arrangement of parts as follows rlfhe plurality of sprocket drums 6 of each shaft i4 are mounted loosely thereon to permit independent rotation of the shaft, and said sprocket drums are selectively engaged with said shaftl by a series of clutches of any usual construction and each clutch preferably comprising a detail structure asfollows:

11 designates a movable clutch collar having a sliding connection with the shaft 4 by an interenga'ging key and groove formation of the parts, and having a ratchet rim adapted for engagement with a correspond-V ing ratchet rim on the sprocket drum 6, as shown more particularly in Fig. 3.

12 designates a yoke lever adapted for operative engagement at one end with the clutch collar 11, and carrying near its other end the armature of an operatingA electromagnet 13, the circuit of which is controlled in the manner hereinafter described in detail.

14 designates a spring associated with the clutch operating lever 12 and exerting a yielding stress upon the same to normally 'article or package to the above described hold the clutch collar 11 away from its engagement with the sprocket wheel 4 aforesaid.

15 designates a circuit closer arrangedin the circuit of the electro-magnet 13 above described and having a movable contact member 16 individual to an endless belt or carrier 8, with its free end extending above a forward portion of said belt or carrier and adapted to be operatively engaged by a package or article carried upon said belt or carrier 8.

7 designates a spring having a yielding ltendency to push the movable contact niember 16 out of contact with the fixed member of the circuit closer 15 aforesaid.

In the arrangement above described, and with an article or package upon the endless belt 8 immediately adjacent to its front end, the free end of the movable contact member 16 will be depressed to break contact with the fixed member of the circuit closer 15 and cause an interruption in the local operating circuit of the electro-magnet 13 and permit the spring 14 to releasethe clutch engagement of the movable clutch collar 11 and sprocket drum 4 and effect a stoppage of said endless belt 8. lith the removal of said article or package from said extreme forward portion of the endless belt 8, the movable contact member 16 is moved by the spring 17 into contact with the fixed member of the circuit closer 15 to close the local operating circuit of the electro-magnet 13 to effect a clutching engagement of the aforesaid clutch collar 11 and sprocket drum 4 for a further movement of the endless belt or carrier 8.

18 designates a fixed shelf or ledge arranged adjacent to the forward end of each endless belt or carrier 8 and adapted to receive and provide partial support to the articles or packages when the same are carried too far forward by the endless belt 8 in its intermittent operation.

IThe modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 involves a detail structure as follows:

18 designates a series of approximately horizontal shelves or ledges arranged inline with the forward end of the endless belt or carrier 8 and pivoted to the main shell or casing 1 so as to be capable of limited upward swinging movement from a horizontal plane in the operation of the mechanism. n such modified structure the movable contact member of the circuit closer 15 heretofore described is arranged as an extension or arm 16 of the hinged shelf 18 so as to have movement in unison therewith, and so that with the presence of an article or package on the shelf 18 the said arm 16 constituting the movable member of a circuit closer 15 is in a position out of Contact with the xed member of said circuit closer, to effect an interruption of the local operating circuit of an electro-magnet 13 and consequent interruption of thetravel or movement of the endless belt 8 as heretofore described. In like manner, with the removal of said package or article from the shelf 18 the said arm 16 moves to a position in contact with the fixed member of the circuit closerto close the local operating circuit of the electro-magnet 18, to cause operative engagement of the driving means of the endless belt or carrier 8 with the power source of the apparatus and a consequent further travel of said endless belt or carrier.

-`Vith the exhaustion of the supply of articles or packages in a particular cell of the cabinet, the operator will wedge or lock the movable contact member 16 in its open condition by a wedge or other convenient device, until said cell has been replenished.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what l claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, a movable belt forming the floor of said cell, means for operating said belt, and controlling means for said belt operating means located at the forward end ofthe belt in the path of the article carried thereon and adapted to be actuated thereby and render the belt operating mechanism inoperative while said article is at the forward end of said belt, substantially as set forth.

2. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, movable belt forming the floor of said cell, a shelf arranged kat the forward end of said belt, means for operating said belt, and conA trolling means for said belt operating'means located at the forward end of the belt in the path of the article carried thereon and adapted to be actuated thereby and render the belt operating mechanism inoperative while said article is at the forward end of said belt, substantially as set forth.

3. In a dispensingcabinet, a holding cell, a horizontally arranged movable belt forming the floor of said cell, meansfor operating said belt, andV controlling means for said belt operating means located at the forward end ef the belt in the path of the article carried thereon and adapted to be actuated thereby and render the belt operating mechanism inoperative while said, article is at the forward end of said belt, substantially said belt operating means 'located at thevforward end of the .belt in the path of the ar-v ticle carried thereon and adapted to be ac- Y tuated thereby and render the belt operating mechanism inoperative while said article is at the forward end of said belt, substantially as set forth.

5. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, an endless belt forming the floor of said cell, sprocket drums carrying said belt, an operating' shaft having clutch connection with one of said sprocket drums, and means operative from the forward end of said belt for automatically operating the clutch connection aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

6. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, an endless belt forming the floor of said cell, a shelf arranged at the forward end of said belt, sprocket drums carrying said belt,

an operating shaft having clutch connection l with one of said sprocket drums, and means operative from the forward end of said belt for automatically operating the clutch connection aforesaid, substantially as set forth.

7. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, an endless belt forming the floor of said cell, sprocket drums carrying said belt, an operating shaft having clutch connection with one of said sprocket drums, an electro-magnet having operative engagement withsaid clutch connection, and a circuit closer arranged in the circuit of said electro-magnet and having a movable contact member operative from a point at the forward end of said belt, substantially as set forth'. Y

8. In a dispensing cabinet, a holding cell, an endless belt forming the floor of said cell, a shelf arranged at the forward end of said belt, sprocket drums carrying said belt, an operating shaft having clutch connection with one of said sprocket drums, an electromagnet having operative engagement with said clutch connection, and a circuit closer arranged in the circuit of said electro-magnet and having a movable contact member operative from a point at the forward end of said belt, substantially as set forth.

9. In a dispensing cabinet, a series of holding cells, a series of movable belts forming individual floors for said cells, individual means for operating said belts, an operating shaft common toa plurality of the individual operating means, and individual controlling means for said belt operating means located at the forward end of each belt and in the path of an article carried thereon, substantially as set forth.

10. In a dispensing cabinet, a' series of holding cells, a series of movable belts forming individual floors for said cells, a series of individual shelves arranged at the forward ends of said belts, individual means for operating said belts, an operating shaft common to a plurality of the individual operating means, and individual controlling means for said belt operating means located at the forward end of each belt and in the path of an article carried thereon, substantially as set forth.

11. In a dispensing cabinet, a series of holding cells, a series of endless belts forming individual floors for said cells, pairs of sprocket drums vindividual to each endless belt, an operating shaft common to aplurality of sprocket drums and having a plurality of clutch connections individual to said plurality of sprocket drums, and a plurality of individual controlling means for said clutch connections located at the forward ends of the endless belts and in the path of the articles carried thereon, substantially as set forth.

12. In a dispensing cabinet, a series of holding cells, a series of endless belts forming individual floors for said cells, a series of individual shelves arranged at the forward ends of said belts, pairs of sprocket drums individual to each endless belt, an operating shaft common to a plurality of sprocket drums and having a plurality of clutch connections individual to said plurality of sprocket drums, and a plurality of individual controlling means for said clutch connections located at the forward ends of the endless belts and in the path of the articles carried thereon, substantially as set forth.

13. In a dispensing cabinet, a series of holding cells, a series of endless belt-s forming individual floors for said cells, pairs of sprocket drums individual to each endless belt, an operating shaft common to a plurality of sprocket drums and having a plurality of clutch connections individual to said plurality of sprocket drums, a series of electro-magnets having operative engagement with said clutch connections, and a series of circuit closers arranged in the local operating circuits of said electro-magnets and having movable contact members op erative from points at the forward ends of said endless belts, substantially as set forth.

14. In a dispensing cabinet, a series of holding cells, aV series of endless belts forming individual floors for said cells, a series of individual shelves arranged at the forward ends of said belts, pairs of sprocket drums individual to each endless belt, an operating shaft common to a plurality of sprocket drums and having a plurality of clutch connections individual to said plurality of sprocket drums, a series of electromagnets having operative engagement with said clutch connections, and a series of circuit closers arranged in the local operating GERVIS E. MOKENNEY. 

